Tony thinking ahead with his galvanised group

Despite having Oxford United to visit Ewood Park on Saturday for the final fixture of the 2017-18 season, Rovers boss Tony Mowbray is already thinking ahead to the summer.

Last week at Doncaster saw Rovers secure their return to the Championship at the first attempt, with Charlie Mulgrew's header sealing the crucial three points.

And apeaking to iFollow Rovers, the boss is already looking to sort out the administration side of things with the summer fast approaching.

“Football management is a strange industry. I have made two emotional decisions in my career and they were probably the wrong ones in the end," the boss began.

“Having been a footballer for 18 years, I know how to make them tick. The group is galvanised and after the early season unrest, after that, the stats are there for all to see.

“That run should be lauded but next season will be tougher against better players and we’ll need to step up to that test.

“It’s nice to have the pressure of being a big club with good players. If Southampton, Stoke and West Brom come down, their budgets are likely to be £60m.

“They can pick off teams if they need to and we can’t be as cavalier as we have been at times this season. Those teams only need one chance and they will punish you."

And the boss added that as soon as Sunday 6th May arrives, he'll be preparing for next term back in the Championship.

“We’ll give ourselves as good a chance as we can," Tony said. "We’re concentrating on the final game now but long-term I can think about player contracts, pre-season friendlies that need to be organised.

"We couldn’t push the button on those things until we knew what league we are going to be in."